Goodies!!

fun fun stuff...
Wednesday I think it was I got an awesome box full of everything from fabric to lace from dear sweet Bonne over at MJF...there were zippers, books, lace, fabric, and patterns all stuffed into an itty bitty box..I tell you..that woman can pack a box to over flowing...I couldn't fit everything back in to the box when I had slowly looked at everything! ha ha
Then today I got in my patchwork purses book from Emily at MJF along with a ton of zippers....I bartered with her for those goodies....
Also today mom and I went garage saling..I got bunches of fun stuff...4 quilting book, a think Daisy Kingdom iron on transfers book, a few doilies to use as pockets on aprons, and the best bit...several uncut pieces of Belgian lace..it is beautiful....and great quality..you can feel it....ha ha
and wouldn't ya know it..I haven't taken pictures yet...haha...but..I'll try to do that tomorrow when it is light out..so I can open my window and not have to use the flash....well....I probably oughta get my bed made...and clean up my room some and start a sewing...heheh
cheers,
~The Bella Modiste~

I'm wore out!

And plum tired!
This week has been wild! Business has been booming, dad is down with the flu, and I've been running back and forth from bedroom to office, transferring files, printing large graphics, saving files, sending files...yeesh...
And...fun news..I've invited to give a talk to about 15 girl scouts, all in about 1st grade....exciting huh? So I'll get a little packet of info together for each girl, make up a couple posters on butterflies and type up what I want to talk to the girls about...I'll probably talk about the life cycle, and the difference between butterflies and moths. The group leader said she could order in some butterflies for the girls to release, I'll probably suggest a craft for the girls to do as well...and I may even join up...I can be a girl scout until I'm 18...I'm thinking it could be fun....I'm told they have a sock-hop coming up soon...I have a poodle skirt...haha...and the black and white shoes...:P

So tonight I have a bunch of kitchen towels to make up for grandma, she asked for them about a month or so ago...I'm so ashamed..sure she said "take your time" but I'm not sure she meant 1-2 months!

ooh and I could take my butterfly books along, let the girls look through them...maybe..that could be a bit much and I don't know what my time limit is...I'm actually very excited about this...though I dislike talking to large groups of people...I think I can handle a bunch of first graders...hopefully they will stay interested, and I won't bore them....ha ha I'm going to try and make it really interesting, fun and informative...if I do it right..they'll learn more in one evening about butterflies then the average person knows...:P

anyways...not that much up with me....I've been running, doing this and that for dad and mom...but that's about it....I've gt some sewing projects to get done...plus X-mas presents, plus a Thank-you present and another present...yeesh....I need to get to work...I have to make 72 12.5in squares....which will be enough for 2 6x6foot quilts..which I will then need to quilt...which I'll probably do by hand....yikes...I need to hurry.....

cheers,
~The Bella Modiste~

Rambling thoughts on college education....

Its kinda funny the guy at the Post Office has been going on the past two trips up there about my not going to college and having been taught by my mom, who had no education beyond highschool...so today I wrote up the Forbes.com list of "Five Reasons to Skip College"....gave it to him, and told him he had to read it, I got him to read about half of it before we left...least it made him shut his trap about me being un-educated...hahaha...turns out....he went to college for Telecommunications.....and now he is a government slav---worker? huh? hello!....
Just thought it was kinda funny...*begin rant* people can't leave well enough alone, they have to go sticking their noses into other peoples business, like their education...and you know...look at Thomas Edison...home schooled, no college education...absolute genius! John D. Rockefeller, long dead, but a high school drop out, oil tycoon, and possibly richest man in history thus far! It is interesting that so many people think that college is some requirement, a sign of intelligence, "if you don't go to college, you are not smart". What!? Sure, alot of really smart people go to college, thats all great and wonderful...but what about us? The young entrepreneurs, who know what they want? And believe they can reach their dreams if they just keep at it? Why do the older generations think that all the kids should go on to college after highschool? Take a look at this list...
1. You'll be losing four working years.
There's an opportunity cost associated with going to college: Not only will you lose the money you'll have spent on tuition, you'll also be out the amount of money that you could have made if you'd worked during those four years. And if your family isn't wealthy enough to pay for your education on their own, you'll also owe a hefty amount in interest payments for your student loans. Perhaps more importantly, with four years of experience on your resume, you’ll be far better off when looking for work than the average 22-year-old college graduate.
2. You won't necessarily earn less money.
College grads earn an average 62% more over the course of their careers than high school grads. But economist Robert Reischauer of the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., argues that those numbers are skewed by the fact that smarter kids are more likely to go to college in the first place. In other words, the profitability of higher education is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
3. In fact, you could probably make more money if you invested your tuition.
Put $160,000--the approximate cost of a Harvard education--into municipal bonds that pay a conservative 5%, and you'll have saved more than $500,000 in 30 years. That's far more than the average college grad will accumulate in the same amount of time.
4. You don't need to be in a classroom in order to learn something.
Truly motivated learners can teach themselves almost anything with a couple of books and an Internet connection. Want to learn a hands-on skill or trade? Consider an apprenticeship.
5. Plenty of other people did fine...
Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Quentin Tarantino, David Geffen, and Thomas Edison, among others, never graduated from college. Peter Jennings and John D. Rockefeller never finished high school.
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Another great article, by Forbes....
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12409530/
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But think about, really think about it....did *your* parents ever discuss with you "Why" *you* should go to college? Did you go to college? Better yet, are you doing what you went to college for? What did you actually learn? Could you have figured that out yourself? *end rant*
Leave me a comment..tell me *your* opinion, though be forewarned, any comments containing obcenities, that are rude, mean, etc , WILL be deleted.

Oy...I got up soo early...7:30!!!

So let's see what'd I do today?....I got up early today...WOW!!! good for me!!!...took care of our lonely Daffy duck...

He has really chilled out since Daisy was killed, he no longer attacks my feet(ouch!)...well..least not as much...mostly because before he was acting as protector to her and the eggs she was laying...

So after taking care of Daffy I did this and that, helped mom clean house...the usual...then today since dad wasn't feeling well, I helped him out with his business applied transfer tape to various jobs, and packaged up another job...and applied small pieces to cover up an old slogan on another job he had done a while back, the people decided that their previous slogan didn't work...so back to us they brought it.....ha ha

So I've been doing a fair amount of sewing....Friday I said I made two more marbelized handbags, way cute...also the one I made the beginning of the week that sold within 24 hrs of posting it to Etsy...
the one I sold:

and the other two(which I hope to list tomorrow):

Also Saturday I made two aprons... there are two seahorses on each bottom corner of the apron, just stitched around the seahorse, edges left raw...

Also last week I made an artful apron...good thing the design is unwashable..cause if it was washed that muslin would shrink up and ruin the whole look...hahaha....

I wont be having a sewing lesson tomorrow because dad has some how gotten the flu...*ack...* don't give it to me!!! And we'd rather not get my sewing teacher sick...and then next lesson is off too, as she is going out of town...So..I have an extra month to finish the assignment..though really she said I have until the end of all the lessons, but I'd much rather get it done now....so far I've prepped the pattern pieces, cut all the pieces I need, dry ironed the pieces, and today I washed and ironed the fabric, which this time is just a plain muslin, but I plan to buy my own copy of the pattern, and make some of the little outfits out of linen and other nice fabrics.

Oh..and I made mom a rag quilt for her birthday(early present, I got impatient, couldn't wait til the 17th....haha...it ended up measuring like 5 foot and a few inches by 5 foot and a few inches(obviously it is square) there are 64 little squares in the center...but...because of the type of quilt...I have to cut 3 times that...64 for the backing, 64 for the flannel inside, and 64 for the top cloth...yeesh! than the 20 squares around the 64..then the 4 squares and 4 rectangles...took time, but was it worth it? oh yeah! she loves it and it totally goes with her whole "farm girl" theme she has going in the living room right now....the picture is actually sideways..the quilt is not lopsided...honest it isn't...ha ha

so anyways...that's what all I have been up to...I'm gonna do a quick spell check here, and then read a bit of the book I have to study for my learners permit..yup...you heard right.....I'm actually going to get it(well, I was anyways..but I was stalling)...I'm going to study the book a bit more..take the online 4 hour(ugh) thing on drugs and alcohol, and then, I have two other tests to take for it, then I guess I get my permit..then after 80(or 50) hours of driving time and( and/or..cant remember) 1 year....I get that little piece of plastic that says I can drive...as long as I don't fail....hahaha

cheers,

~The Bella Modiste~

Just a quick post...

Lets see..whats new..OK..
last Monday our dear sweet Daisy the duck left us for a raccoon....we found her early that morning in the back corner...feathers all about...and ugh...half eaten....
not much new through the week....though I did get some nice sandals, very comfortable, and oh so fun to spin in....hahaha
Friday I made two marbelized canvas purses, Saturday I made two aprons...today I didn't make anything, but helped dad with somethings for his business.
um...I'm actually heading to bed at a decent time....in about 8 minutes....haha.....and will actually hopefully get up at a decent time!! amazing I tell you! Not gonna keep the 3AM-12PM anymore....it'll be the 11PM-6:30AM or 7:00AM hahahahaha.....you know...I did get things done with the 3-12....I just kept different hours then everyone else.....and I tell you..it was fun...but alas.....the fun must end.....and now I bid thee all good night
cheers,
~Te Bella Modiste~

So...yeah...its been a while since my last post...again...haha..I've been busy.....really...

I just finished a rag quilt for moms birthday, also have made a couple aprons(did i post those pictures?ooh..i didnt....good..)

so here the apron I made following an old 1949 pattern offline....
and my apron made from a pattern from Kathie over at MJF
ooh and a new linen skirt...now this one...I started with a remnant from Joann's 7/8 of a yd....made the main skirt, w/ waistband...was trying to find some way to add a ruffle, none of my other fabrics matched, and it was too short for my comfort if I had just hemmed it...I remembered that in my closet was this linen feeling peachy colored dress...I pull it out...it was a perfect match in both color and fiber content.....so I chopped 13 or so inches off the dress, pulled out the 3in hem on the chopped off bit, and made myself a cute little ruffle with a cream colored eyelet lace....here it is....

also...a kind of artsy 4 pocket apron....using marbleized fabric that dad and I made...plus a really cute floral and metallic trim....honestly..the picture does not do it justice....

And..I got two baskets from Joann's to put my fabric in, I do have more, the bigger pieces are in my cabinet, and the doll making fabrics in the bottom drawer of my little rolling cart under my work table....I just don't have as much as I though....ha ha....

all of the marbleized fabric in the baskets was made by my dad and I...I'd like to use that bunch up...then mix up another batch of the base, and find some plastic tub to make up alot of more then we did on the first go round..the base though has to sit for like 12 hours!....so you really have to make it ahead of time...plus you have to pre-treat your fabrics in alum....thank goodness the paints are water based....and don't stink....haha...infact...no part of the process stinks....dad said when he did it like 20 years ago, it was oil based and had a...distinct odor.....

...ooh we went to Joanns on Saturday, and I got exactly 4 patterns, even after spending over an hour in there just walking by and feeling all of the fabrics...haha....My two favorites of the bunch...Vogue V7985....a totally cute doll pattern...I MUST get a flesh toned poly knit soon....and also Vogue V8008...a beautiful vintage 1950s reprint patttern for.....hats.....beautiful beautiful.....also got two of McCalls 5050...a simple tops and tunics...

also...for sewing class I have to make McCalls 3063 view F, it has different parts that we've touched on in class, this is my "you've learned it, you've done it some, now make this, your final grade depends on this, 2-3 other projects, as well as your two previous exams" .

No pressure....ha ha

So anyways...besides helping mom tonight peel pears so she could chop up and cook then can them....that's about all that is new with me...I haven't been very busy....in fact...I've been slacking.....I've got a pile of laundry waiting for me to fold it all up..plus another pile waiting to be washed.....plus...about 3-4 bags waiting to be sewn for dad....plus two quilts to make one by about November, the other by about mid Jan. plus..I have two other quilts I want to finish....one just needs the leaves embroidered to tie it....the other needs all the satin stitches couched, the names of the flowers embroidered, plus...batting, backing, and quilting.....youch....plus..Christmas presents to make....and things to make for my shop!....I'd also like to make up some things to take around to local shops..try to get recognized a little bit more...get out there....etc etc......I want to be....famous....not followed-by-paparazzi-24/7- famous...not even Martha Stewart famous....just enough to feed my fabric addiction, maybe make...60 grand a year....have a small cottage in Italy.....haha.....ok...thats just plain pushing it...dontcha think?....hahaha